Apple yesterday announced that its iOS chief, Scott Forstall, will leave the company next year after more than 15 years of working to lift the company from fringe player to market leader. But why? According to reports, his refusal to sign a recent apology letter regarding Apple Maps may have been his undoing.

The first word of his ousting came in an official statement from Apple yesterday that announced a major internal shakeup, propeled the company's famed designer Jony Ive, as well as Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi into major new roles. Avoiding any direct mention of staff changes, Cook said, "We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple's history."

With regards to the departure of Forstall, the company would only say, "Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook in the interim." But according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Forstall's departure was linked to his refusal to sign a public apology letter Apple published in September regarding its much-criticized iOS 6 Maps product.

According to the report, the original plan was to have Forstall sign the letter, essentially accepting responsibility for the software's perceived shortcomings. But when Forstall reportedly balked at the strategy, a widely noted departure from Apple's usual approach to product hiccups, the relationship between the software chief and Cook became strained. It was reportedly strained before then, however - when the late Steve Jobs tapped Cook to lead the company over Forstall, a leading candidate for the top slot at the time.

In addition to the departure of Forstall, retail chief John Browett will also be leaving the company after less than a year. Browett, a veteran of the European retail market, had been charged with leading Apple's global retail efforts, but his approach apparently failed to impress Apple's new leadership. A replacement hasn't been named and Apple is reportedly searching for a new person to take over the position.

Ive will now act as the company's director of Human Interface, guiding the look and feel of Apple's entire line of products. Cue will oversee Siri and the company's Maps product, Federighi will handle iOS and OS X, and Mansfield will lead a new group called Technologies, focused on unifying the company's wireless and semiconductor strategies.

For more, see our roundup of the most notable Apple apologies in the slideshow above.

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